MALIBU ORCHID SOCIETY

Transcription

1 MALIBU ORCHID SOCIETY Volume XLVIII, VIV May 2011 President s Message: I would like to congratulate everyone on a spectacular auction. We raised just under $3,000. That is about a forty percent increase over last year, which was still a good year. Special kudos should go to Alice Hall and John Delfino. It was their first attempt to organize the event, and they did magnificently. Thanks also to Brian Derby and Karen Smith, both of whom gave us a large number of great plants for the sale. George Hatfield and Art Mendoza donated some wonderful cymbidiums, which sold for high prices. Sylvia Morton also donated three show cymbidiums from Hatfield s. Rabinder Sekhon did yeoman s work handling the finances; he did the work of two people. Merlin Brock handled the plant hotel by himself and did a great job. Edna helped with the registration, refreshments and the clean-up. Barton Mozlin sold a large selection of supplies. The Calwest supplies did very well, and the most generous contribution of fertilizer from Grow More will supply our members for a long time. Cheri Hunter and Jill Silton kept tabs on the plant sales, as they have for many years. Sylvia Morton solicited the plants from Hatfield Nurseries and assisted the labeling and organization at the sale. Continued on page 2 MOS Monthly Meeting May 17th, 2011 Pacific Palisades Women s Club 901 Haverford Avenue Pacific Palisades, CA Speaker: Arthur Pinkers "Warm Growing Intergeneric Onicidinae and their Culture." Arthur Pinkers has been an orchid enthusiast since age 16 (almost 40 years) when he acquired a plant of Slc. Glittering Jewel (Sl. Gratrixiae x Slc. Hermes) and was infected by the orchid bug. He grew up in the Seattle area and attended Western Washington University, graduating with a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology. He worked for many years as a chemist and had the fortune of having his dream job as the Lab Director for Beall Orchid Company until shortly before its close in Arthur s interest in orchids goes over a broad range of types though botanicals are a special draw. Arthur has served most executive positions on the Board of the Northwest Orchid Society and is a Past President. Arthur is an Accredited Orchid Judge of almost 20 years and serves as a photographer and as Chair of Information for the Pacific South Judging region and before that as center photographer for the- Continued on page 2

2 May 2011 Malibu Orchid Society President Grafton Tanquary (323) st Vice President Dr. Birute Anne Vileisis (310) nd Vice President Alice Hall & John Delfino (310) Treasurer Rabinder Sekhon Recording Secretary Alice Hall (310) Corresponding Secretary Judy Reidel Membership Edna Brock Continued from page 1: Page 2 We need to thank the buyers, too. Without them, we would not have had such success. Much appreciation goes out to Jasmine Bashi, Milo Riedel, Angela Nice and Phil Fetchco. Grafton Tanquary Continued from page 1: Pacific Northwest Judging region. He has been married to his wife, Margie, For over 20 years and has two adult children who are attending the College of the Canyons. They currently live in Santa Clarita, California where Arthur is learning to grow orchids in extreme conditions, very different from his native Pacific Northwest. Birute Ann Vileisis Newsletter Editor Falguni Trieu (818) falutrieu@yahoo.com Librarian Angela Nice (310) nicetotalkto@gmail.com Directors at Large Karen smith (310) John Delfino (310) johndelfino@netscape.net Cheri Hunter (310) cherihunter@earthlink.net B. Aristocrat grown by Birute Vileisis Sylvia Morton (310) sm10164@gmail.com AOS Representative Georg Stelzner (310) Orchid Digest Representative Falguni Trieu (818) Webmaster (310) Rabinder Sekhon rsekhon@verizon.net

3 May 2011 page 3 California orchid Events May 2011: May 14 AOS Pacific South Regional Judging 10am The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens Huntington Botanical Center, Lower Level May 19 San Gabriel Valley Orchid Hobbyists Annual Auction 6:00pm-10pm LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. Preview: 6:00pm, Auction starts at 7:00pm May 20 Orchid Odyssey 10am. 2pm San Diego Zoo. The Zoo s orchid greenhouse is open to the public. June 05 Orchid Odyssey 10am. 2pm San Diego Zoo. The Zoo s orchid greenhouse is open to the public. described by Lindley in 1837 in June 11 OSSC s Annual Auction, doors open 1pm, Auction starts 2pm. Meeting Hall, First Christian Church, 221 S. Sixth Street, Burbank CA. June 11 AOS Pacific South Regional Judging 10am The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens More Info Huntington Botanical Center, Lower Level June 17 Orchid Odyssey 10am. 2pm San Diego Zoo. The Zoo s orchid greenhouse is open to the public. June 18 Ninth Orchid Digest Speaker s Day: The On-cidiinae 12:30pm - 8pm Huntington Gardens Botanical Center. the 31st annual Santa Barbara Orchid Estate International ORCHID FAIR July 8th - 10th, 2011 For 30 years, The Orchid Fair has been a leisurely time in summer for growers and collectors to gather and share their passion for orchids. The Fair strives always to provide you, our customers, with an unsurpassed diversity and quality of plants from all parts of the orchid world; from the United States as well as Central and South America, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Islands between. The Orchid Fair has flourished because, first, our vendors are true lovers of orchids and many have been coming since the beginning of the Fair and have formed good friendships with their customers. Second, everybody likes to come to Santa Barbara; it s one of those special places. And third, SBOE is an outstanding adventure in itself with its collec tion, variety, knowledge & history, now of fifty years. Speaker Singapore is pleased to host the 20th World Orchid Conference (WOC) from November 13 to 20, 2011 at the Marina Bay. The WOC has the support of The World Orchid Conference Trust, Singapore Orchid Society, National Parks Board of Singapore, and the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau. Themed "Where New and Old World Orchids Meet", the Conference will feature a strong scientific programme, complemented by a series of symposia and forums that will meet the needs of both commercial growers and hobbyists. Organised alongside the Conference is the Orchid Show. The Exhibition promises to be a spectacular showcase of the finest species and hybrids from the region and beyond. --

4 Maxillariella tenuifolia This essay is dedicated to the memory of Eric Christenson, PhD who passed away in early April. Eric was a noted authority on Maxillaria and was continuing to describe new species up to his death. Like Brassavola nodosa, Maxillaria tenuifolia is one of those orchids that belongs in every collection. While small plants remain compact, it may also be grown into a specimen in a rather short period of time. The grasslike foliage makes an attractive houseplant even when not in flower. Being a widely distributed species, it is adaptable to a broad range of growing conditions. Also known as the "coconut orchid", this Maxillaria will perfume the home or greenhouse with its coconut-scented flowers and delight family and visitors. Cymbidium Yoko Takai 'Hatfields' 2011 Grand Champion Cymbidium at Santa Barbara Orchid Show grown by Hatfield Orchids The genus as we have accepted it in the past has undergone considerable transformation. A new classification system proposed by Mark Whitten PhD and Mario Blanco in the February 2011 issue of OR- CHIDS should lend clarity to what was once a large and diverse genus. While the names change, the orchids stay the same for us to enjoy in our collections. If you are one who likes to be on the cutting edge of orchid taxonomy, you may change your nametags for this species to Maxillariella tenuifolia which is fortunately, not a major name change to remember. It is a pity that this group of orchids is not better known outside a dozen or so popular members. There are many fine species, both large and small, well worth growing and suited to all types of culture from cool to warm, shady to bright. Here is a plant growing in situ on a tree limb in Belize. Note the dappled light. This species was discovered near Veracruz, Mexico by Karl Theodore Hartweg and Continued on page 5

5 May 2011 Refreshments: Members whose last names fall within are Mebasser- Rossilli on the Committee this month. Please bring a plate of snacks / cookies / fruit that can be eaten as finger food. If you are on the list this month, please remember that you are responsible for making coffee, serving, cleanup, etc. Armstrong s Garden Center in Santa Monica is holding an orchid repotting demonstration at the store at 9 am Saturday, May 22. They are willing to have someone from the MOS attend to give a short pitch about the Society and pass out literature. They want to do the demonstration themselves. We discussed this at the last Board meeting. Is there anyone who would like to attend? This is a good chance for us to meet some new members. Let me know soon. I have to give your name to the management. Grafton Tanquary Page 5 Continued from page 4 described by Lindley in 1837 in the Botanical Register. It is primarily a low elevation species found from Mexico to Costa Rica at elevations up to 1500m (4921ft). The best temperature range for cultivation is warm to intermediate, providing temperatures no lower than 50 º F (10º C) day or night. The long rhizome makes for a somewhat straggly plant that wants to "climb" out of a pot, but a good sized plant can be easily kept in a six inch pot. It will eventually start to droop over the edge as it grows up but by that time, you should plan to repot it anyway as it will take a couple of years to reach that stage by which time the media will need replacing. Basket culture is an optimal solution to accommodate this growth habit and a slab of tree fern will work equally well, although not offer as tidy a presentation. Most elements of Max. tenufolia culture are quite forgiving with the main consideration being the avoidance of stale or soggy media. We have grown it in all sorts of media including osmunda, fir bark, coconut husk fiber or chunks and of course, fir bark mixes. The paramount quality of the media is that it does not stay consistently wet so sphagnum may be the least suitable choice. Plants should not be watered again until dry, or just approaching dry. Fertilize along with your other orchids every week or two using a half strength solution of balanced fertilizer. Light tolerance is broad for this species and it can be grown in a bright greenhouse, or with "Phals" on a windowsill. Lower light will produce long whip-like foliage and a more straggly plant as it reaches for the light. Should your plant not flower, you will need to give it more light. Flowering season is March-April and flowers last for a week to ten days or longer if kept cool. Flower color is typically oxblood red with a spotted lip, but yellow color forms are known to exist. Plants propagate easily and are always readily available in the trade so there is no excuse to not have one in your collection. Greg Allikas - April, 2011

6 Many Thanks to These Advertisers for Their Support of the MOS Malibu Orchid Society P. O. Box 1244 Pacific Palisades, CA The Malibu Orchid Society is a non-profit corporation as defined by the IRS Code.